'I still have nightmares,' says British grandmother who was beaten unconscious in Thailand

The British grandmother who was brutally attacked at a popular Thai beach resort last month has described her ordeal for the first time, telling a court that she “still has nightmares”.

Rosemary Owen, 65, and husband Lewis, 68, were in court to give testimony before a judge on Monday afternoon in Hua Hin, the tourist hotspot where they were beaten senseless along with their 43-year-old son by four Thai men in April.

A CCTV image showing the aftermath of the attack by a gang of drunken Thai thugsCredit:
Enterprise News

“I still have nightmares. And the headaches. The headaches are there all the time,” said Mrs Owen, who spoke from a private room in the courthouse while her confessed attackers sat in the same building.

“I don't know if it will always stay with me, the memory, but for now I have nightmares and it is sad that this has happened to me by a small group of Thai people, people who I love.”

Watch | Family brutally attacked in Hua Hin

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Mr and Mrs Owen had been permitted to give their official witness statements in advance of the opening of the trial, to allow them to return to their Wales home as soon as possible.

Rose Owen and husband Lewis Credit:
Enterprise News

They had been due to stay in Thailand for another week, but may now leave as soon as Tuesday. Dates for the trial have not yet been set. The family had been celebrating the Mr Owen’s birthday when they were attacked at around 2am on April 13 during a Thai New Year holiday festival.

Lewis Owen jr had apparantly enraged the gang of men by spilling one of their drinksCredit:
Enterprise News

He has returned to Singapore, where he works as a graphic designer, and told reporters last week that neither he nor his parents would ever return to Thailand.

But according to the Daily News website, his parents said on Monday that they would be happy to return to Thailand, telling the reporters that the incident was committed by only four individuals and did not represent the Thai people.

Four Thai men have been arrested and charged with previous bodily harm. Earlier on Monday, Mr and Mrs Owen were visited in hospital by M.L. Panadda Diskul, a senior Thai government minister who is also a member of the country’s royal family.

“I’m not going back to Thailand again. Never, ever again”

Victim Lewis Owen

The politician conveyed the prime minister’s “concern and regards” to the couple, and presented them with a jasmine garland to express the country’s condolences.

Thai authorities will hope the gesture proves more effective than a previous attempt, in which members of Thailand’s tourist board posed with Mrs Owen at her hospital bed to express support, but only succeeded in drawing more attention to the gravity of her injuries.

During the Monday visit Thawatchai Suksanong, the doctor treating the couple, said they were in a safe state and now only suffering from minor bruises.

Mrs Owen, who suffered the worst injuries in the assault after being punched and kicked in the head, spent weeks in hospital and needed to have a build-up of fluid in her brain removed by doctors.

Her husband required stitches. On Friday, a planned police reenactment involved Chaiya Jaiboon, 20, one of the confessed attackers, had to be cancelled due to fears he would be mobbed by angry Thais.

Thailand's faltering economy is heavily dependent on tourism but this is the latest violent incident involving foreign visitors.

Lawyers for two young Burmese men convicted of murdering backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller on Koh Tao in 2014 are expected to launch an appeal next month, citing alleged flaws in the prosecution DNA evidence.